


A Year and a Day

by Daydreamer



Series: The Healing Of Hearts [11]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Past Heart Transplant, Romance, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-28
Updated: 2014-04-22
Packaged: 2018-01-14 03:02:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1250311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daydreamer/pseuds/Daydreamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been a year since Naruto's transplant and Sasuke throws a party for Naruto to celebrate. Everything seems perfect for them, except for one thing</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kellerkind](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=kellerkind).



Naruto pressed a hand to his chest. Each beat meant so much more than simply being alive. Because of Kiba Inuzuka and his family, he was allowed the chance to truly live. After a year filled with trials and frustrations and anger, he was finally being allowed the chance to live and love with all of his being. There was no way to put a full description on what that meant for him. 

Only three months ago, Sasuke had given him the world when he had taken him on the trip he had never thought to take. It had not been perfect and there was more than one moment when his fear nearly overwhelmed him. He had allowed regret to take root inside him and had nearly gotten to the point of self-destruction in his guilt. He knew there was no fault in the part he played in the drama. If he had not needed a heart, Kiba would still have died and another would have gotten the heart. The guilt of taking someone else's place in receiving the heart still plagued him, but Sasuke had finally gotten him into a support group for survivors of transplants where he discovered that his worries and guilt were natural across the board. Only the most selfish of persons would feel no guilt at receiving such a precious gift.

Only recently had he been allowed to start work, not because his medical condition did not allow it, but because Sasuke was such a damn control freak who constantly feared for Naruto's heart. The asshole seemed to have developed a freaky fetish for it. Once during sex, he had actually kept his head pressed to Naruto's chest during the act. How he maintained that position was quite astonishing. He hadn't let that bastard touch him for a week after that, accusing him of cheating on him with the heart.

He was only half teasing. It had freaked him out.

Their life still seemed to be trial and error for the most part. Naruto was forced to keep on a pretty damn strict diet. It wasn't that he couldn't eat good stuff, but it was more in moderation. The statistics were against him. Heart transplants did not last as long as other transplants with an average of less than ten years. He had faith though. This heart would last him his entire life.

Smiling, he shook his head and reached for his cellphone. His heart jumped when he heard Sasuke's voice answer. It never failed, no matter how long they stayed together or what heart was in his chest, Sasuke always caused it to flutter in excitement. "I'm on my way home. You want me to pick up something for dinner?"

There was a pause before Sasuke answered. "I'm already cooking something."

"Damn...you know I've been wanting some ramen." He pouted as he slung his bag over a shoulder. "Come on, Sasuke. We can put what you're cooking in the fridge."

"You're not allowed to have ramen for another week. Do you realize what's in ramen? It's ten pounds of salt with greasy meat and eggs. Not to mention you make it all the worse by adding soy sauce to it."

"You do realize you're making me want it more?"

He heard Sasuke snort and grinned. "Idiot. I'm still not letting you eat it today."

Naruto stopped walking and glared at his phone. "I'm still so damn pissed at you for making that damn chart."

"You need visual aids."

"Do not," he growled, half-heartedly.

"Yes, you do. Come home and I promise that we'll go out for ramen tomorrow."

Naruto cocked his head and pumped a fist. Damn, he was good at whining his way into decent food. He didn't bitch often, but it felt like forever since he'd even eaten something halfway bad for him. Sasuke was pretty damn strict with the food chart displayed prominently on the fridge. It listed what foods Naruto could eat during any given week. In his opinion, Sasuke had way too much time on his hands. At least he was giving him a little break this week.

"Just for that, I'm going to show you a good time tonight," he chirped saucily.

Sasuke huffed out a laugh. "Is that so?"

"Damn right it is. Don't underestimate the power of ramen." He could almost see Sasuke rolling his eyes and lowered his voice an octave. "I'm on my way, you better be waiting."

"Hurry home."

Naruto shivered in excited giddiness at the dark promise in Sasuke's voice. God, he was going to get hard standing here in public just thinking about Sasuke and how sexy he looked when he was aroused. Who would have ever thought a nerd could be so damn sexy? He didn't look like a nerd, but he was one to the core.

"Bye, Temari," yelled Naruto as he passed by her office on the way out of the building, not wanting to stop and be delayed from reaching the sexy man waiting for him at home.

"Hey, Naruto," she jumped up from her desk and stuck her head out of the door, making him paused. 

He sighed and glanced her way with raised brows. He watched as her normally hard features softened and she smiled. "I'm glad you're back, Naruto."

"Me too." He gave her a jaunty wave and rushed out to his waiting SUV.

His heart pounded in his ears and a year ago, that would have frightened him. Now, it was proof of his health. He was still self-conscious about his scar, but it no longer terrified him as it once had.

The tires of his vehicle squealed as he whipped it into its designated parking place in the building's garage. He barely remembered to grab his bag off the passenger seat in his excitement to get to his lover. Damn, it wasn't like he was starved for sex but today felt different. He hadn't been this excited in forever.

Swallowing back a groan as another mental vision of Sasuke flooded his senses, he raced for the elevator and jabbed several times at the number for their apartment's floor. His nerves were practically thrumming in excitement and he could barely get the key into the lock before flinging open the door while yelling. "Sasuke you better have that lube ready or I'm going to tie you down and be the one pounding your ass."

The words had barely left his mouth as the sight before him registered. Expectant faces were frozen in expressions of shock and to some degree, amusement. Hinata's face was beat red and Sasuke had his face in the palm of his hand. A dozen faced him and he blinked dumbly before he felt as if his head was going to explode from all the blood rushing to his cheeks.

There was a distinct mumble that could have only come from Sasuke. He knew the word well. "Idiot."

"Surprise?" said Itachi in a voice choked with laughter.

"Fuck my life," groaned Naruto as he finally took in what he was seeing. A large banner was displayed across the living room. One Year Strong.

He'd forgotten. Today was the day he'd been ready to die. He'd known he would die, and yet he didn't. The heart had come to life in his chest and he lived. He had a life with Sasuke and today was the one year anniversary.

Embarrassment left as his friends swarmed around him for laughs and hugs. His earlier words were forgotten as everyone came around him to celebrate his life and the extra year that was tacked onto it. Each moment he lived was extra time and a blessing as far as he was concerned.

Hinata stepped forward and gave him a kiss and a hug. He still couldn't believe Itachi had proposed...and more amazing was that she had accepted. She was a pretty amazing woman to tame that horn dog.

He barely had time to bask in one person's congratulations before another took their place. He had no idea how many hugs came his way before he was wrapped up in Temari's arms. He hadn't even seen her arrive with her brother, Kankurou and her husband, Shikamaru. In her arms was her daughter, looking absolutely adorable. Naruto immediately lost the part of his heart not already belonging to Sasuke.

"You brought her!" he squealed and cuddled her close.

Temari's daughter had been born shortly after his transplant. He'd been too sick to really appreciate the baby and his recovery had been long. Now, he had the baby in his arms and was giggling madly as she latched onto his hair and began babbling in baby language to him...to which he responded in kind.

"You're never going to get her back now," said Sasuke with a chuckle. "He's pretty much adopted her now."

Naruto sat down in a chair and continued to babble happily with the little girl. Sasuke's eyes softened and he smiled. 

"You two should think about adopting now that Naruto is out of the woods."

Sasuke shrugged. "Naruto will never be out of the woods. Heart transplants aren't like others. He's got ten years if he's lucky."

"Then you just get another transplant, besides, I have a feeling this heart will last a lot longer than the average. This is Naruto we're talking about, and he would make a wonderful father," said Temari softly.

"You're right about that. He's amazing with kids. I just don't know if I'm ready to share him yet."

Temari barked out a laugh. "Spoken like a true man. You two should talk about it anyway. I've got some connections with the state adoption agency when you're ready."

Sasuke nodded and turned his gaze back to Naruto. "Thank you, Temari."

"I didn't think so many people cared," said Naruto as he walked up to the two.

Naruto reluctantly released the little girl to her father and Sasuke drew him close while burying his face in his neck. "You have a lot of people who love you. Don't ever think for a minute that you aren't loved beyond reason."

"Not for a single minute," he whispered.

"I hope I'm not late."

Naruto whipped around to see Kisame Hoshigaki standing in the doorway of the apartment. He gave a whoop and lunged at the man. He'd only met him a few times while with Sasuke in the Caribbean, but he'd hit it off with him almost instantly.

"Kisame! How did you get here?"

"Sasuke paid for a plane ticket." Kisame gave a pat to Naruto's head and then stepped away. "You look good, kid."

"Better than before?"

"You'd look better if you could convince your partner to move down to the island."

Sasuke stepped forward with his hand extended, only to be pulled against Kisame in a hug. "We're family. We don't shake hands."

"Where's that plus one you were going to bring?"

Kisame's face darkened slightly and he shook his head. "It didn't work out."

"I'm sorry," said Naruto. He'd spoken with Kisame several times on the phone and they skyped and emailed regularly. Kisame had started dating one of the locals a few weeks back. He'd seemed fairly upbeat about it. "What happened?"

"She had trouble accepting that she couldn't have all of my heart."

Naruto frowned at that. He heard a bark of laughter and turned to see Itachi chuckling at something Kankurou was telling him. His eyes caught Kisame's movement and saw him staring at intently at the older Uchiha. Itachi chose that moment to turn and an expression of joy spread across his face before he reeled in the look in the typical Uchiha manner.

"Kisame," said Itachi with a smile as he approached with his hand extended. "I didn't know you were in town."

Kisame stared at the hand before taking it. "I'm full of surprises."

Naruto stared at the shake, remembering the words that had just come from Kisame moments ago. Family didn't shake hands. He'd assumed that Kisame considered Itachi family since he and Sasuke were deemed as such and according to Sasuke, Kisame and Itachi had always been closer because of their similar ages.

"Itachi?"

Both men turned to see Hinata approaching with a smile and the grip of their hands loosened and separated. Itachi's face softened and he drew Hinata toward him. "Hinata, this is Kisame Hoshigaki. He's an old friend of mine. Kisame, this is my fiancé, Hinata Hyuuga."

Naruto caught the faint dimming of Kisame's smile. It was barely noticeable and he recovered quickly. He opened his mouth, but found any words blocked by Sasuke's hand.

"Leave them be," his lover growled in his ear. "It's not your place to meddle."

Naruto pouted, but allowed Sasuke to draw him away from Kisame and Itachi. He felt bad. Kisame had played off his friendship with Itachi since he'd first met the man, yet seeing him in Itachi's presence; it was obvious that he doted on him. The entire situation made him extremely sad.

"Leave it be, Naruto."

"It's just not fair," he whispered as he pressed his face into Sasuke's chest and nuzzled the warm flesh beneath his shirt.

"Life isn't fair. If it was, you'd have never had to have a transplant."

Naruto nodded and lifted his face to meet Sasuke's gaze. "But, if I hadn't needed a heart, I wouldn't have gone to see Itachi and I wouldn't have met you."

Sasuke didn't say anything and neither did Naruto. It was a sore subject between them than neither wanted to poke. 

"We'd have met," answered Sasuke quietly after a moment. "You're my soul mate, so we definitely would have met, even if it was ten or twenty years in the future."

Naruto giggled and poked Sasuke's ribs. "You're such a sap. You pretend not to be, but I know it."

"Let's just keep that between you and me."

oOo

The party finally ended near ten and Sasuke and Naruto sat curled up together on the sofa. The living room was an absolute mess. Torn streamers and popped balloons littered the floor. Cups and plates were covering every spare inch of flat surfaces. Several people had offered to stay and help clean up, but with Naruto fading so fast, Sasuke had waved them off.

"I can't believe it's been a year already. Time just flew by."

Sasuke hummed and closed his eyes to bask in the warmth of Naruto curled against him. "It's almost midnight. That makes it a year and a day."

"I guess it does."

Naruto opened his eyes and eyed the state of the living room before groaning and burying his face in Sasuke's chest. "I don't want to clean up," he whined. "Let's just sale the place and move."

Sasuke chuckled and nuzzled Naruto's hair. "I don't know; packing up might be more trouble than cleaning up."

"We can just leave everything. We can buy new clothes and furniture."

Sasuke did role his eyes at that. "And who would be paying for this move?"

"Well, you of course," quipped Naruto as he leaned up and kissed Sasuke's lips. "I'm just a poor soul"

Sasuke nibbled at Naruto's ear. "I suppose I could take out the cost in trade."

"Oh, now you want sex? You get me all hot and bothered and then when I get home, I'm rearing to go only to not find my lover naked, but rather my apartment filled to the brim with people...to whom I completely embarrass the shit out of myself in front of." Naruto sighed dramatically. "You're lucky I don't make you sleep on the couch."

"I wouldn't mind sleeping here if you were with me."

Naruto snickered and laid his head on Sasuke's shoulder. "Temari's daughter looks just like her...but she's got Shikamaru's eyes. Do you ever wish I was a woman?"

Sasuke choked on his saliva and gaped dumbly at Naruto while trying to figure out the train of thought that led from Temari's daughter to Naruto being a woman. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"I mean...you know...to have babies that look like both of us."

With a sigh, Sasuke pulled Naruto even tighter against him. "I don't care if my genes are passed on or not. I'm sure Itachi will handle that. If you were a woman, I wouldn't want you. I'm happy with things how they are."

"But you'd make such a great father."

Sasuke sighed and tightened his arms. He'd known he would have to have this conversation with Naruto eventually, he'd simply hoped it would not be for a while. "Temari and I talked while you were enamored with her daughter. She brought up the topic of adoption."

Naruto sat back and stared at Sasuke. "Adoption?"

"It's just an option for you to think about."

"And you're okay with it?"

He thought for a moment before shrugging. "I'm not opposed to it. I don't want to have to share you with some snot-nosed kid, but I suppose I could get used to the idea. It's not like picking up a dog at the pound. It could take months or years to get approved to adopt and then there is the wait for a suitable child."

"I know that, but are you really okay with it. I mean, if you don't want a kid, I guess we could get a dog or something."

Sasuke chuckled and drew Naruto back against him. "You'd never be satisfied with a dog. I'll get used to the idea while we're waiting for approval."

Naruto smiled happily at Sasuke, his face radiating joy before that joy dimmed only a few short seconds later. "What if they don't approve us because of...?"

He lifted a hand to his chest, directly above the scar bisecting his chest. "What if they deny us because of me?"

"Stop being an idiot. If they deny you, we'll go to China and get a kid. I'm going to make sure you have a baby even if it kills me. If you being such an amazing person doesn't get you a child, then I'll buy you one. If Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Angelina Jolie are allowed to adopt kids, then we sure as hell will be able to."

The joy returned to Naruto's face and he flung himself against Sasuke. "I love you so much."

"Me too." Sasuke sighed happily and cuddled Naruto close. "I'll call Temari tomorrow and have her set us up with a caseworker."

"Thank you, Sasuke."

He chuckled at the pure joy radiating from his lover. "But, since you mentioned it, I think you would look damn sexy pregnant with my baby."

Naruto jerked and sat up with a flush on his cheeks. "Sasuke!"

oOo

Sasuke sat at the dining room table with Naruto, staring at the stacks of paperwork involved in adoption. The state agency wanted to know everything about them from how much they took in yearly to where they went to school and what they did in their spare time. He'd seen the sneer in the woman's face when she handed them the various packets and wondered if this would be an exercise in futility.

While no longer expressly forbidden, gays and lesbians still had to jump through ten times the number of hoops compared to that of hetero couples. They faced twice the amount of prejudice and were subject to be denied for the slightest offense. Staring at Naruto's frowning face, he worried for his love. If they were denied, it would crush Naruto. They had barely agreed to look into adoption and already Naruto was planning out their future child's life. He'd started looking into schools and even setting up college funds.

"Naruto," he began.

"Don't say it." Naruto grabbed a form and began filling out the spaces. "I have to believe that after everything we've been through, we'll be given this chance. Just this once, I'd like something to come easy."

"You fell in love with me easy enough," he tried to tease.

"But it wasn't easy, was it?"

Sighing, he shook his head. "No, it wasn't."

"Did you see that woman's face? She was condemning us. I could practically hear her thoughts. She was thinking we'd turn any kid we had into a gay cross dressing hooker with AIDS."

Sasuke snorted, though it wasn't really funny. Just hearing it come from Naruto took at least some of the edge off the comment. "It's not that bad. And we have a lot of people in our corner, powerful people. The Uchiha name isn't just a name. Itachi and I don't really use our name to get things, but it still holds a lot of sway in the world."

"I know." Naruto pouted and slammed a fist down on the table. "I guess I thought it would be different."

"I told you. If they deny us, we'll go somewhere that will give us a child. You're going to be a father, I promise."

"Daddy."

Sasuke blinked. "What?"

"I'm going to be a daddy. A father is just someone who donates sperm and is occasionally around for birthdays and holidays. I'm going to be a daddy."

Nodding, he leaned over and kissed Naruto's lips softly. "You're right. You're going to be a daddy."

"And you'll be a papa."

"Okay."

Sasuke watched Naruto go back to the forms. He sat there staring for several minutes before turning to his own paperwork. It seemed a little excessive, but considering they were going to be given a child to care for, it felt alright, even if he didn't like the thought of strangers having access to his financial history. For Naruto, he would withstand any annoyance.

oOo

The days turned into weeks and Naruto grew progressively despondent. The agency had yet to call them back for the next step in approval, which was the interview phase. No matter how much Sasuke assured him that it took time, he grew more and more depressed. He was certain they had been rejected because of their relationship and his health issues.

He was laying on the sofa flipping aimlessly through the channels when the phone rang. Since Sasuke was closer, he allowed him to answer and tuned out the rich, deep sound of his lover's voice. 

"Yes? Of course. Monday at ten a.m. is fine. Thank you."

When he heard him hang up, he peeked over the top of the sofa. "Was that your editor?"

"No." Sasuke approached with a blank face. "It was the agency."

Naruto stared at him, his heart pounding in his chest. He hated when Sasuke hid his emotions from him. The bastard was like stone when he wanted to be. If Sasuke was wearing that face, the worst case scenario must have happened and they were denied approval. "What did they say?"

"They scheduled an interview for us on Monday at ten."

Naruto's eyes widened and he gave a loud whoop before jumping over the sofa and tackling Sasuke to the floor. "We got an interview," he crowed happily.

"We did." Sasuke stroked a finger down Naruto's cheek. "But don't get too excited. This is just one of many steps in the process."

"I know...but we made it to the interview." Naruto leaned down to kiss Sasuke. Their mouths devoured each other and hands moved to stroke at torsos. He was just beginning to get into the mood when a thought occurred to him.

He had nothing to wear.

"Oh, my god." He was on his feet in an instant. "We've got to go shopping."

"Why?"

"I've nothing to wear to the interview."

Sasuke groaned and thumped his head against the floor. "I'm in love with an idiot."

oOo

The conference room seemed a bit large for an interview as they were shown into the room where three individuals sat and spoke quietly amongst themselves—two women and a man. The conversation halted as they were shown in and Naruto began to fidget nervously until Sasuke took his hand.

"Mr. Uchiha and Mr. Uzumaki?"

"That's us," chirped Naruto with a nervous laugh.

"Please have a seat and we'll get started."

"We've read through your application for adoption and discussed it with each other at some length," began the woman. "I must say, I'm a bit apprehensive of it. Your application is rather unusual."

"Because we're gay?" asked Sasuke, just barely keeping the chill from his tone.

"Well, there is that," interjected the man. "But, it is becoming more common to see homosexual couples looking into adopting. It forces us to be stricter during the entire process."

"How so?" asked Sasuke as the chill reached his eyes.

"Well, we have to look out for the welfare of whatever child we place and gay couples simply don't have the security of normal couples. To put it bluntly, we don't want a child to go into the care of a couple who will end up splitting apart. You aren't married, so that alone makes things easier to separate than the normal couple."

"Normal?" asked Naruto. "What's normal? A man and a woman? A married couple? I'll have you know that I've been with Sasuke for several years. We've been through bad times together and we've weathered them better than most hetero couple's would have. The only thing we don't have is a piece of paper saying that we're married. I don't need that to know that the only way I'll ever leave Sasuke is when I'm dead."

One of the women arched a brow. "That brings up the second issue. You're the recent recipient of a heart transplant, correct?"

"Yes."

"I've looked at some statistics and they don't look good. According to the stats, you'll be lucky if you live ten years. That means..."

"I don't look at stats," interrupted Naruto. "It's pointless because each person is different. Could I possibly die tomorrow? Yes...and so you all of you and any couple that comes in here looking to adopt. I can't guarantee that I'll live to see grandchildren or even my child's high school graduation, but I can promise to love the child with every fiber of my being. If you want guarantees, then you had best not adopt out any kids because no one can promise forever. But you know what; I wouldn't be worried about any child that I adopted because even if I died, I know Sasuke would be there for them. That's why we're adopting as a couple, because if something happens to one of us, the other will be there to protect our child. That's what it means to be family. So if you're going to deny us because we're gay, then look at all those straight couples who abandon their children or who abuse them. We're financially secure. One of us works from home. We have a large and always growing family support system. How many people can say that?"

Naruto took a breath and spent a second staring each of the interviewers in the eye. "And if you want to deny us because of my heart, then you're denying some lucky child two loving fathers who would dote on him or her. Any child we have will be treated with love and respect. If you're just looking for excuses to deny us, then why did you call us here because it's a waste of our time?"

Naruto stood with a straight back and pulled Sasuke to his feet with him. "We're leaving now. Anything you want to know about us is in that stack of forms you had us fill out. When you're ready to stop denying a child a loving home because of your prejudices, give us a call."

Sasuke trailed after Naruto. They didn't stop walking until they stood by the car. Naruto hunched over the roof and began crying with every fiber of his being. The tears poured out and Sasuke could do nothing, but hold him close. "Naruto..."

"I screwed it up for us. I should have just kept my mouth closed, but I couldn't stand the looks they were giving us. They'd already decided what they thought of us even before meeting us."

"You knew it wouldn't be easy," murmured Sasuke as he stroked a hand over the hair 

"If that's the people who choose who adopts and who doesn't..."

Sasuke drew Naruto up and placed a finger on his lips. "Don't finish that sentence. We have a lot of options, so don't worry if this agency doesn't work out. There are private agencies. If it comes to it, I'll get one of our friends to be a surrogate. I love you and it hurts me to see you like this. So, stop crying, okay?"

"Okay."

oOo

It took Naruto a while to recover from the interview. Sasuke only told Itachi and Hinata the events occurring in the interview. Itachi offered to prescribe some Xanex to help calm Naruto, but he refused.

Sasuke smiled as he watched Naruto bounce around their apartment with Temari's daughter while his boss sat laughing at him. Maybe it was time to cultivate other options since it was obvious the adoption agency was not going to call them back.

Taking a sip of his tea, he reached uncaring when the phone rang. "Uchiha-Uzumaki residence."

"Mr. Uchiha?"

"Speaking."

"This is the Konoha Adoption Agency."

Sasuke frowned and set aside his teacup. "Yes?"

"I'd like to inform you that you've been added to the list of parents waiting to adopt. And I must say that Mr. Uzumaki really made an impression on your interviewers."

Sasuke felt his heart start pumping again and swallowed around the dryness in his mouth. "He has that effect on people."

"Congratulations to you and your partner, Mr. Uchiha. I wish you all the best in adopting. We'll be in touch."

"Thank you." He placed the phone back on its cradle and stared blindly for a moment.

"Hey, Sasuke, you okay?"

He blinked and focused on Naruto. Standing with almost shaky feet, he pulled Naruto into his arms and pressed his lips to his ear. "We passed the interview."

Naruto jerked back and stared at him dumbly. "What?"

"That was the adoption agency. We're moving onto the next stage."

Naruto whooped and jumped into Sasuke's arms, wrapping his legs around his waist and planting kisses all over his face. "I'm going to be a daddy!"

"Well not yet, idiot."

The comment didn't deter Naruto's jubilance. "Not yet, but one day."

"I could have told you that. In fact, I think I did."

Naruto stuck out his tongue and then pushed away to promptly pull Temari off her feet in a bear hug. "Did you hear?"

"I did. Congratulations, Naruto."

Having shared his joy with their guests, he was back in Sasuke's arms. "I love you."

"Me too," replied Sasuke. "Always."

"And our son or daughter too?

Sasuke nodded. "And our son or daughter too."

The End.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto sat on a bench in the park. His eyes stared blankly at the children darting about amongst the play structures. Sasuke was doing his jog thing. They had started together, but he didn't have the stamina of his lover. So he generally went as far as he could and then sat on one of the many benches to rest until Sasuke finished his laps around the park. Itachi told him that he would need to keep exercise easy and gradually build himself up. He'd never really exercised before and the feeling of his heart pounding in his chest was a bit disconcerting to him. In the past, a fast heart rate was a very bad thing.

So here he sat, staring at the children and holding back the growing feeling that he and Sasuke would never have a child. It wasn't like they weren't completely happy. Each day with Sasuke was a blessing, something he had never thought he would have. He'd already been given more from life than he ever expected, causing him to wonder if having a child was just that little bit too much. After everything he had received, was it fair for him to have more and for his life to be perfect?

He watched a little kid, somewhere between three and four toddle around in the sandbox before plopping down to begin construction on a sand castle. He could imagine standing up and walking to the child, sitting himself in the sand and helping him build the most amazing castle in the history of castles because in his mind, that child was no longer an unknown child, but belonged to him and Sasuke.

"Hey."

Naruto blinked back his bittersweet daydream and glanced up to where Sasuke stood behind him. Long tapered fingers played with the hair at the back of his neck and he shivered at the tickling sensation. "Hey, yourself."

"You weren't where I left you." Sasuke walked around the bench and settled beside him. "Naruto—"

"We're never going to have a child," whispered Naruto despondently "It's been nine months."

Sasuke frowned at him. "It takes time for a child to come up for adoption. You just have to be patient."

Naruto understood Sasuke's reasoning. There were a lot of couples wanting to adopt children and only a limited number available. Most of the children in foster care still belonged to their biological drug addict or abusive parents. There were very few who were eligible to be adopted.

That he and Sasuke were gay didn't help their case. Agencies pledged being unjudging of such couples, but heterosexual parents always seemed to move to the head of the line. It was like an unspoken moral statement that parents had to be a man and a woman.

"I guess...I guess when we were approved; I really got my hopes up. It felt real then, like we would really be able to have a child together and everything would be perfect."

Sasuke wrapped an arm around Naruto and leaned his cheek on the top of his head. "Nothing is perfect, but I think we're pretty happy. I thought you were happy with me."

Naruto jerked away. "I am. I love you, Sasuke. I don't need anything, but you."

Sasuke smiled and traced a finger down his cheek. "Then stop worrying and torturing yourself. You'll be a father. You'll make a great one. All you need to do is stop fixating."

"You'll make a great father too, Sasuke."

oOo

Naruto glared at the ceiling, only occasionally glancing toward the television. Sasuke had taken back to writing in his study rather than at the desk in the living room. He did that on occasion when a particularly intense project found its way to him. And by intense, it meant something he was intrigued by...because Naruto still did not know how anyone could find what Sasuke did interesting. They guy was sex on legs on the outside and the biggest nerd ever born on the inside.

Sometimes he giggled at the thought of Sasuke in school, wearing a dress shirt with a pocket protector and thick black glasses. Itachi had to have had a role in teaching him fashion, because Sasuke didn't seem to care the least about fashion or style.

Licking his lips, he grinned. Sasuke looked sexy in clothes, but even more so without them. He was all hard lines and taut muscles. And his eyes...god, his eyes were so damn sexy after he came. They became hooded and lazy. Sometimes he wondered if he had sex because it was unbelievably fun, or because he had a chance to look at post-coital Sasuke eyes.

He didn't have to look at his pants to know the direction of his thoughts had caused a hard-on to manifest. Lately, he hadn't been able to get enough of sex. It was like he was in heat or something.

With a quick adjustment around his crotch, Naruto stood and strolled leisurely toward Sasuke's small office-study. The door opened soundlessly and there was Sasuke, pouring over the mountains of research materials as if they were the most interesting thing in the universe. He almost hated to disturb him when he was like this...almost.

Pulling his shirt over his head, he shivered at the cool interior of the air conditioned room, nipples hardening on instinct. He was still self-conscious about the scar bisecting his chest, but less so with Sasuke. Sasuke had spent hours one night kissing every inch of his chest and paying particular care to the scar. In the time since his surgery, it had lost the dark red coloring and lightened to a paler pink.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Research." Sasuke didn't look up from the book he was flipping through, dark slender glasses perched on his nose. Naruto grinned broadly. Sasuke was one damn sexy nerd.

"Want to take a break?" he asked, proud of himself for keeping the breathless tone from his voice.

"In a minute."

"In a minute my dick won't be hard."

Sasuke's head shot up and he turned to see Naruto grinning broadly at him, shirtless with pants zipped but not buttoned. It always amused him to watch Sasuke go from intellectual to horny as if a switch was flipped. The only visible sign, other than the tenting in his khakis was his eyes. Only by spending a lot of time watching Sasuke was he able to readily spot the change.

Naruto licked his lips and strolled forward, grin never leaving his lips. "Like what you see?"

Sasuke's throat bobbed as he swallowed. "Always."

"Me too." He grabbed Sasuke's arms and pulled him to his feet before shoving his hands under the loose tee he was wearing and pulling it up to reveal the smooth expanse of skin. Sasuke was a god in human form as far as he was concerned and years together had not dimmed his lust for him.

He gave a playful shove with his body so that Sasuke's ass rested on the edge of his desk. When it looked as if Sasuke was going to argue about the location of their romp, he dropped his head and bit down on one of those dark pink nipples.

"Ouch, damn it."

Naruto grinned around the flesh and turned that annoyed growl into a moan with a flick of his tongue. His hands stroked down Sasuke's flanks before moving to deftly unbutton and unzip his khakis. Sasuke didn't care about anything at that point.

Naruto was just that good at distracting him when he wanted to.

His hands tugged the trousers down and shifted Sasuke onto the desk, his ass resting beside the books that had once held his complete attention. He growled and moved to the other nipple. Sasuke's breath was panting and his cock a dark red in hue.

"I want you so damn bad," he growled into Sasuke's chest.

Sasuke's head was flung back as his hand wrapped around the hard flesh pressing up against his abdomen. He was the ultimate incarnation of sex and all he could think of was getting in that ass. On most days, he let Sasuke take the lead. He liked it that way and it worked with their dynamic. For so long, his heart had not allowed him to over tax it, but now that he was healthy, he enjoyed taking control more often. And Sasuke didn't seem to mind.

"Naruto—"

Naruto looked up from Sasuke's chest to see the desperation and need in his eyes. It was more of a turn on than the hard dick in his hand or the silky skin beneath his lips. He stood quickly and slammed their lips together. He felt the sting of nails scraping at his back and tasted the faint flavor of peppermint from Sasuke's lips.

His hands scrabbled for the lube he'd toss on the desk and immediately shoved two fingers up Sasuke's ass. "Shit!" yelled Sasuke into his mouth.

Naruto held onto one hip with his free hand and continued to kiss while his fingers plunged in and out. He thought Sasuke was going to try and devour his face. His hips were shifting and rolling and he had one leg hooked around his hips.

There was no way he could wait when Sasuke was that desirable.

He jerked his fingers from Sasuke's ass and grabbed for the lube one last time, coating his dick. They were both panting when he lined up their bodies and lunged inside. Dual groans filled the air followed immediately by the sound of sweaty flesh slapping together.

"Fuck, Sasuke," he groaned and lowered his lips to suck on Sasuke's neck while his body heaved forward in a race towards completion. 

Sasuke alternated between growls and groans as he panted out words of encouragement. Both legs were around Naruto's hips now and the papers and books were being shoved aside and to the floor as their movements became increasingly frantic.

His heart pounded in his chest and he could feel Sasuke's thumping equally fast from where their chests pressed together. Both were shuddering wildly and sweat slick bodies lost all semblance of rhythm as they reached those first moments of pleasure.

Naruto came first, his body heaving desperately against Sasuke. Each pump from his cock sent a shock of pleasure from his balls up his spine. He felt Sasuke's hand pumping desperately between their bodies only moments before a shout echoed through the room and splattered semen was smeared across their abdomens. He stared intently at Sasuke's face, watching those eyes widen with his orgasm before turning soft and sated...just the way he loved.

For several long moments they lay across the desk with Naruto blanketing Sasuke's body until the chill of the cool room forced them to part. Naruto slid away and watched as Sasuke shifted with a groan. He caught a flash of cum oozing from Sasuke and nearly threw him down to fuck again.

Sasuke slid from the desk and stared at the carnage where a once organized space had been. "Damn it, Naruto."

"Don't blame me," pouted Naruto. "You didn't say no."

"You didn't give me a chance," Sasuke growled at him. "Now I'm going to have to organize everything again. I should make you help me fix this mess."

"Don't act like you don't enjoy it. I swear you get off on organizing." Naruto picked up a book and rolled his eyes. "How did I fall for such a nerd?"

Sasuke snorted and took the book from his hand before grabbing his discarded trousers and shirt. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Want me to join you?"

Sasuke's eyes shifted to him and he opened his mouth to answer when the phone rang. His lips twisted into a smirk that was answer enough as he lifted the phone from its cradle and pressed it to his ear. "Uchiha-Uzumaki residence."

Naruto yawned and scratched at his naked belly. He was about to leave and start the shower when he saw every muscle in Sasuke's body go rigid. It set off alarms in his head and his heart started pounding loudly in his ears.

"Yes," said Sasuke. "I understand. We'll be there soon."

"What is it? Has something happened to Itachi?"

Sasuke blinked away the shock on his face and shook his head. "What? No. Itachi's fine I hope. That was a lady from the adoption agency. They have a baby. We need to go meet our caseworker from the agency at the hospital."

"A...baby..." Naruto gasped.

"Yes." Sasuke stalked toward their bedroom. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Why? We need to go now before they call someone else." Naruto felt like running around in circles. "What do we need to get? Is it a boy or a girl? We don't even have a bed for it."

Sasuke halted his walk toward the shower and turned to grasp Naruto by the shoulders. "I need you to calm down. They won't give the baby to anyone else unless we say no. Now come get in the shower with me so we won't smell like sex when we go meet our new son or daughter."

Naruto was still in a state of shock as he allowed Sasuke to pull him toward their double-sized shower. "You were always the voice of reason to me," he murmured while Sasuke lathered soap into his hair.

"I know," he said, not even bothering to hide the smirk on his lips.

Naruto giggled and wrapped his arms around his lover's warm body. "We're going to be daddies. I didn't even know I was pregnant."

Sasuke choked and slapped the back of Naruto's head. "Idiot."

"Though, considering how often you've been playing bottom lately, you would probably be pregnant before I would."

Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes before ducking his head beneath the spray to wash away the last of the suds. "Just finish showering and get dressed."

"Are we going to call Itachi? It's his niece or nephew," asked Naruto as they readied to leave the apartment.

"No." Sasuke turned to Naruto and cupped his hands around his face. "I don't want you to be too invested. Mothers change their minds very easily this early on. I can't bear it when you're hurting. Let's just wait and see how things work out before we go telling all our friends."

Naruto's eyes grew wide and he gripped desperately at Sasuke's shirt. "Do you think the mother will change her mind?"

"I don't know. Let's just go to the hospital and meet with the caseworker first. Remember, one step at a time. Just like when you got your heart."

He nodded and pressed their brows together. "One step at a time."

oOo

Naruto fidgeted the entire drive. He couldn't keep still with the equal mixture of excitement and fear coursing through him. The thought of being handed a baby only to have him or her taken from him was nearly more than he could bear. If the mother changed her mind, he wasn't sure he would be able to give back a baby he already loved in his heart. He was grateful that Sasuke offered to drive. With the way his hands were shaking, he would have caused a wreck for certain.

Sasuke linked their fingers together and his touch soothed the tremors coursing through him as they walked into the hospital together. A woman in a pale gray pants suit stood upon seeing them and walked over in quick steps.

"Mr. Uchiha? Mr. Uzumaki?" 

Sasuke nodded. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha and this is my partner, Naruto Uzumaki."

She smiled, though it seemed a little forced. That alone put Naruto on edge more than he already was. His fingers spasmed and he felt a small comforting squeeze from Sasuke in return.

"The elevator is this way," she said and led the way. On the ride up, she pulled out a folder and began reading. "The baby is a boy. Born twelve hours ago."

Naruto's fingers tightened again, this time in excitement. He and Sasuke were going to have a boy.

"The mother's of Japanese descent. It was one reason that pushed the two of you to the top of the list. In most cases, we like to match races as best we can. It's better for the baby from a cultural standpoint."

"I guess that means he's going to look like you, Sasuke. Lucky little guy."

Sasuke snorted and lifted a hand to stroke Naruto's cheek. "I'd rather he have your eyes."

As the elevator chimed and they stepped off onto the floor, the woman grew increasingly nervous which in turn, caused the warning bells in Naruto's head to become warning sirens. A glance to Sasuke showed him equally anxious, though he was less obvious. As they neared the nursery, Naruto jerked his hand free of Sasuke's and moved to the window. "Which is he?"

Inside the nursery were half a dozen babies in small clear beds with colored blankets showing which were boys and which were girls. The walls were painted with dancing bears and a nurse in pink scrubs smiled and waved to them from the interior. His eyes darted over each child with a blue blanket, trying to determine which was his son.

He watched the woman take a deep breath and a chill went down his spine. "He's not there."

Sasuke stiffened and turned slowly to the woman. "Why not?"

She moved away and down the hall, forcing the two of them to follow until they neared another window, this one less cheerful. There were still colorful characters dancing along the wall, but the room was filled with equipment—considerably more than the other nursery. In this room, there was only one baby and he was covered with so much equipment that they could barely see him through it all.

"He was born twelve hours ago to a drug addicted mother and is two months premature as well as addicted to cocaine. He weighed in at two pounds at birth."

"Is this some joke?" growled Sasuke. "Do you think because we're a gay couple that we'll take any defective baby you throw at us and be happy?"

"It's not a joke. Your psych profiles said you were the sort who could deal with a high needs child."

"So you bring us here without telling us anything?"

Naruto tuned out the argument between his lover and the caseworker. He stared inside, trying to see more of the little child that no one wanted. His mother didn't want him if she continued to use drugs even after becoming pregnant. The adoption agency just wanted to find somewhere to stick him so to get him off their hands. No one wanted the little soul clinging so tenaciously to life. What better child for them than one who was determined to live despite all the odds? Something inside him shifted and his decision was made.

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered.

Sasuke stopped arguing and turned to him. "Naruto?"

"Come look at our son."

Naruto lifted a hand to the glass, as if doing so would allow him to touch the baby on the other side. His other hand reached for Sasuke and grasped at him like a life line. "He's a fighter. He could have given it all up when he was born. It would have been easy, even with all the doctors and equipment. But, he didn't. He'll have your looks and be a fighter like me. He'll have two daddies who will take care of him and teach him how to be strong."

"Naruto—"

"Look at him, Sasuke." Naruto lifted their joined hands to the glass. "Look at our son."

He felt the tremor that worked through Sasuke. He felt it too, the connection to that little life. They were going to be a family.

They could have been standing there in front of the glass window for hours or mere minutes. Only the clearing of a throat pulled their gazes away.

"I'm Dr. Carlton. I'm the pediatrician in charge of the baby."

Naruto stepped forward and shook the man's hand, Sasuke following in suit. Sasuke's eyes darted back to the baby and then to the doctor. "Tell us what you know."

"Baby Doe..."

"Don't call him that," murmured Naruto.

Sasuke tightened his grip on Naruto's hand. "It's just until we name him."

The doctor smiled indulgently. "The baby was born addicted to cocaine, so we have to keep him calm with sedatives until his system can purge the drug. He's two months premature and weighs a little over two pounds. His lungs weren't fully developed, which is why he is on the ventilator. As soon as he can breathe on his own, we'll take him off. He'll probably have learning disabilities and attention issues as he grows older. He could possibly develop chronic illnesses such as asthma. All that's common in crack babies."

Sasuke scowled at the term. "I think we can handle that."

Naruto swallowed the thick lump in his throat. "What are his chances?"

"It's hard to say at this point. Every day, every minute, that he lives increases his odds of surviving. I will tell you this, that little guy is a fighter. When babies like him are born, with so little going for them, they seem to simply drift away despite all our efforts. This little guy, he wants to live."

"Can we go in and see him?" he asked.

The doctor looked to the caseworker, who nodded. "You'll need to wear hospital scrubs and clean yourselves. He's very susceptible to infection right now."

Naruto didn't need to be told twice when a nurse came to take them to where they could clean up. He nearly scrubbed his hands and arms raw at the sink. Sasuke seemed to be doing nearly the same. He saw the way Sasuke's jaw clenched as he worked and how his spinning mind was visible through his eyes. After they finished, Itachi would be the first call to get referrals for the best pediatricians in the city.

Soon, they were dressed in green scrubs and yellow protective outerwear and masks. The nurse gestured for them to approach and smiled. "You can touch him. Touch is important to babies. It makes them feel safe."

Naruto looked at his hands and paled. "But...the germs."

"If you washed your hands, you're okay. Just try not to jostle the tubes."

Naruto stared at the baby. He was so small, he could fit into the palm of his hand. The diaper he wore was several sizes too big and his little body had tubes and wires attached to every inch of skin. An IV ran into his foot and a ventilator was forced into his mouth. The only bit of normality on him was the soft blue knit cap pulled down over a head of dark hair.

His hand shook as he reached forward and stroked one pinkie across the palm of the baby's hand and gasped as the tiny hand latched onto his finger. His heart immediately accepted the baby as theirs without question. "Sasuke—"

Sasuke lifted a hand and stroked it down one of the baby's downy soft cheeks. "You were right. He's ours."

Salty tears dripped down his cheeks, but he couldn't bear to pull his hand away from the fingers gripping it. This was their son, their perfect baby boy.

"He's a fighter, just like his daddy," whispered Sasuke against his cheek.

"Damn right," murmured Naruto in response.

Sasuke glanced at the nurse. "How long will he have to be hospitalized?"

She smiled softly. "It depends on him. He'll probably be here for several weeks until his lungs are fully developed and he puts on some weight."

Sasuke nodded and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto, we need to leave now. I need to call Itachi and I'm sure there is paperwork to be completed."

Naruto shook his head and continued to stare where the baby gripped him. "I'm afraid to leave him."

"You said he's a fighter. Then trust your son to fight."

Naruto lifted his eyes to meet Sasuke's gaze. "But what if he thinks I'm abandoning him?"

"He won't. He'll have someone with him the entire time. Let's go make him ours, okay?"

He nodded and reluctantly tugged his finger away from the tiny hand grasping it like a lifeline. The nurse escorted them from the NICU and back to the hall where the caseworker stood expectantly. Sasuke nodded to her.

"You have the paperwork ready?" When she nodded, Sasuke took his phone from his pants. "Once I call my brother, we'll sit down and handle that."

Naruto continued to stare through the glass at the infant who would soon be his son. He wanted to go in and hold him, to promise he would never leave him. Tears welled up in his eyes, which he swiped at with his arm. He felt Sasuke's touch on his back and instantly relaxed while Sasuke spoke in quiet, yet urgent tones to his brother. Itachi would probably be in the hospital within the hour followed by a trail of medical personnel devoted to the life of his new nephew. The Uchiha name had a lot of pull in the medical field.

Sasuke ended the call and nodded to Naruto. "Itachi's on his way."

"Good."

The next few hours consisted of reading and signing documents. Sasuke's lawyers arrived with Itachi and they read over each document that was signed. Before the end of the day, Naruto was about ready to collapse. When discussion had erupted, he had simply walked away to stand and stare at his son, a son who still had no name.

"Hey," whispered Sasuke as warm arms wrapped around him from behind. "You want to go get something to eat?"

"I don't want to leave him."

"But you still need to eat. If you waste away, then who will take care of him?" Sasuke nuzzled his face in the curve of Naruto's neck. "Besides, we need to come up with a name for him."

"I want him to know his heritage. He's Japanese, I want his name to reflect that," said Naruto quietly.

"Any suggestions? How about Kurama after the great demon fox of legend?"

Naruto snorted and shook his head. Only Sasuke would want to name his child after some creature he read about in a book. "My grandfather had a stray dog once that followed him around sometimes. He called it Kurama. I'd rather not name my child after a dog."

Sasuke smiled softly. "Then what do you suggest?"

"How about Ryu? I've always liked that name. Our little dragon."

"That's a strong name."

Naruto nodded and leaned his head back against Sasuke. "He'll be strong, so he needs a strong name. Ryu Uchiha."

"Don't you mean Ryu Uzumaki-Uchiha?"

Naruto shook his head and snickered. "Hyphenated names are stupid. We can make my last name his middle name if you want, but I want him to be Ryu Uchiha."

"Whatever you want," said Sasuke before lifting his hand and placing it on the glass. "Welcome to the family, Ryou Uzumaki Uchiha."


End file.
